


Other Halves

by Casdeaniscanon



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel, Angel Wings, Canon Compliant, Case Fic, Castiel in the Bunker, Dean Has A Wing Kink, Dimension Travel, Dwarves, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Castiel/Dean Winchester, M/M, Magic, Protective Castiel, Unicorns, Wing Grooming, Wing Oil, Wings, Witches, what???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 12:33:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7315366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casdeaniscanon/pseuds/Casdeaniscanon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam finds a seemingly normal case right on the edge of Lebanon. A couple missing children and some unexplained orange and grey smoke seems like a walk in the park for Team Free Will. But, little do they know... this small case might turn into something a lot bigger than what they signed up for.</p><p>This little work of fiction I have created is set sometime after the boys received the key to the bunker. The apocalypse and the leviathans are in the past. Any 'big bad' after that (like the trials) never happened. </p><p>There were so many authors that inspired this story (and it's my very first one ever) so, thanks. I'll put dedications and works/references in a chapter of its own after we go through this little (big) journey together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trampled Under Foot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NorthernSparrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernSparrow/gifts).



> Hey guys! 
> 
> So, this is my first fic EVER!!! I'm extremely excited to share this story with you guys! Like I stated in the summary, A LOT of people inspired this so kudos to them. <3
> 
> (I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors)
> 
> Enjoy!

**_Present_ **

 

“DEAN! HEADS UP!”

Sam was lying in a heap on the dusty barn floor, strewn with loose hay and other various debris. But he still managed to expertly throw Dean’s favorite Colt M19 in his direction.

The witch was slowly advancing to Dean’s side. She was carrying a handful of some kind of powder while chanting something unknown under her breath.

Crawling towards his gun, which was on the other side of the barn, Sam was listening faintly to the witch’s chant. Her voice was gradually getting louder as she was nearing the end of the spell, signaling that Sam didn’t have much time to gain momentum and get himself upright and over to Dean.

Sam’s leg was killing him and his head felt dizzy. Trying to crawl in his state was a struggle, sore arms and weak legs weren’t the best for movement. Whatever spell she had going on would be completed before he could even get vertical again.

Then, because he really is the huge nerd that Dean says he is, Sam caught one word and knew something horrible was about to happen.

She was now at least 20 feet from where Dean stood. He was struggling to pick up his weapon; although, he had gashes slashed across his stomach, forearms, and hands from where the witch clawed him. Before the whole chanting-and-flinging-Sam-across-the-room crap, they had been wrestling on the ground when she got the jump on him and gave Dean a good clawing with her long, perfectly manicured, pointy nails.

The witch was almost yelling as she neared the end of the chant, “-cum in potestate cristallo-” Dean had no clue what any of those words meant, but a very quick look at Sam’s face told him it wasn’t good. Not at all.

When Dean finally got his grip on the gun, he stole one more quick glance to check on his brother. With a brief nod from Sam, he planted his feet, squared his shoulders, and took aim right at the witch’s heart. “TAKE THIS, BITCH-” Dean’s index finger reached to pull the trigger as the witch finished her chant, but before he could get a shot in, ”- asportabit te in locis desertis mundi magicae, quae in terra!” She took a breath as she opened her fist and blew the mysterious orange powder towards Dean, unaware of Sam quietly looming up behind her.

“HEY!” The witch spun around with wild eyes. She started sprinting toward Sam when he took aim and effortlessly pulled the trigger in quick succession, each bullet straight to the heart. With a thud to the ground and a bit of left over powder floating out of her grip, the witch fell lifeless at Sam’s feet.

Sam took a moment to peer at the witch. Even though she was corrupted on the inside, you wouldn’t be able to tell just by her appearance. She was beautiful. She had natural curly black hair, which reached just past her shoulders. Her skin was a spectacularly gorgeous tanned color. She looked like she had just spent the whole year at the beach, her skin practically glowing with radiance. When looked more closely, he was a little stunned to see she looked very similar to Dean’s first love, Cassie. She could definitely pass for her twin, no doubt. They had the same curly, black hair, plump lips, and slim yet curvy figure. He absentmindedly wondered if Dean noticed the similarities between the two women as well. Probably. This is Dean after all.

He was pulled out of his daze and back to reality when Dean began coughing up a storm. Sam’s head jerked up only to see his brother collapse on ground, surrounded by a cloud of orange and grey smoke.

 

******

 

 

**_Some Time Earlier_ **

 

The weather was clear with not a cloud in the sky on the ride back to Lebanon. With the open road and the wind rushing through Baby’s windows, Dean was content to sit in silence whilst listening to Sam type away on his laptop.

Sam huffed, rearranging his laptop so he could balance it on his bent leg. He was scrolling through whatever article he had come across when Dean looked over. Eyebrow raised, he glanced at his brother, “Hey man, you good over there?”

Rolling his eyes, Sam nodded his head “Yeah, it’s just… I’m not finding any good cases in the area. I mean, there were a few cattle mutilations down south, but Harry and Randy are taking care of them. There are a few missing bodies up in Seattle, which Garth said he’s dealing with…” Sam gave a dramatic sigh and slammed the laptop shut, throwing it in the backseat.

“Come on Sam, you wanna jump straight into another hunt? We just ganke’d a whole nest of vampires. Don’t ya think we should take a little break and maybe hit up a bar? Scope out the pretty ladies? You might even get lucky this time, bitch.” Dean chuckled, turning his attention back to the road.

Sam threw what Dean calls ‘Bitchface #4’ in his direction, huffing, “Jerk. Fine, you want to try and pick up lonely women then be my guest. But I’m not going to sit around taking shots when I could be doing something productive. Like actually look for another case, for instance. We’re not on vacation just because there’s no big bad on our radar right now.”

“Okay, Sammy. You go do your nerd thing and when we get home I’m going to crack open a couple beers, take a nap, and when I wake up I’m going to take Baby out to enjoy the night life like normal people do.” Dean spared a glance towards the passenger seat, seeing ‘Bitchface #4’ still stuck on his little brother’s face.

Sam turned to look out the window, finally giving up. He let out the most dramatic sigh he could muster, “Do what you want Dean, but I’ll sit out on the fun tonight.”

Satisfied, Dean reached in the backseat and grabbed the first tape he could get his hands on. Looking at the label, it read ‘METALLICA: THROUGH THE NEVER’.

He shoved the tape in the console and cranked up the volume. ‘Enter Sandman’ blasted through the speakers, drowning out all other noise in the Impala.

Dean took one hand off of the wheel, bobbing his head and imitating the drum beats. Sam chuckled and shook his head at his brother.

 

******

 

When the boys finally reached the bunker, they were exhausted. Dean parked Baby in the bunker’s garage, “Because she’s a lady, dammit! She can’t sleep outside!” And they slowly dragged themselves down the steps and into the place they now called home.

Dean went straight to the fridge and cracked open a beer from a fresh six-pack, heading to the TV room. Before he reached the doorway, he noticed Sam’s tense shoulders as he headed to his room. He rolled his eyes and called out, “Sam! You sure ya wanna do your nerd thing right now? How ‘bout we watch a movie or somethin’?”

Sam turned around looking shocked, but Dean was pleased when all he did was nod his head and agree, “Okay… okay, yeah. I’ll just go put my stuff away and grab a blanket.”

Giving a thumbs up, Dean made his way into the room and planted himself on the couch. He huffed when he realized he hadn’t grabbed a movie. He took a swig of beer all while muttering, “Whatever, he can pick a goddamn documentary for all I care.”

When Sam reappeared carrying a small blanket and a cup of who-the-hell-even-drinks-pureed-rabbit-food, he caught the tail end of Dean’s little tantrum, “Dude, documentaries are interesting. And besides, I’m more in the mood for a comedy anyways.”

“Good, ‘cause I’m not watching no March of the Penguins crap. That stuff is for kids.” Dean shook his head and wriggled to get comfortable on his side of the couch.

Sam threw his blanket over the couch and set his smoothie on the table, ignoring Dean’s glare at the offending kale mixture. He then made his way towards the TV stand, where the DVD rack was located. He crouched down and began unnecessarily touching the spine of every DVD his eyes landed on. When he finally came across the perfect one to lighten up the atmosphere, he grabbed it and shoved it into the Blu-ray console.

Dean, not having glanced at the cover of the film, grabbed the remote to turn the TV on and pressed play. He was delighted to see the opening title “Caddyshack” play itself across the screen, “Hell yes! This is a movie classic! Nice taste there, Sammy.”

The movie started and as it progressed, the brothers laughed where appropriate and were silent during serious moments. The whole thing was so normal that for the whole two hours, each of them was able to forget that they were so very far from normal. Well, perhaps it was mostly Dean who was able to believe that. Sam still believed that there was more work to be done; however, he was certain that there was undeniably nothing more important than having some quality bonding time with his big brother.

 

******

 

Dean woke up the next morning feeling groggy, sporting a slight hangover from downing that whole six-pack during what he now calls “movie night.” He rolled over onto his side to take a peek at the time on his phone. Seeing that it was already 9:00 am, he grudgingly sat up and threw his feet over the edge of the bed.

Taking slow, cautious steps he made his way down the hall towards the bathroom.  Before he even made past the doorframe, a wave of nausea hit him out of nowhere. Dean ran and slid on his knees, reaching the toilet before the disgusting bile choked its way through his system, filling up the toilet with the disgusting liquid. Eventually the sickness passed, leaving Dean with a spit-covered mouth and horrible morning breath. Slowly he gathered himself, got to his feet and limped to the sink. Armed with toothbrush and minty paste in hand, he scrubbed his teeth clean until there was nothing left of his fun time the night before.

 

******

 

Asia’s ‘Heat of the Moment’ began blaring through his phone’s tiny speakers, rousing Sam out of his deep sleep. He blindly reached for his nightstand to turn off the offending song and to check the time. Swinging his gigantic legs over the side, he practically leaped out of bed when he saw it was just after 9:30 am.

He walked towards his dresser, pulling the drawers open frantically. Searching for a decent article of clothing was a chore, but he finally got his hands on a non-ripped, red checkered flannel and a pair of blue faded jeans. Sam grabbed a pair of socks out of the bottom drawer and proceeded to shove them on his feet, while hopping on one leg out of his room.

Speed-walking, he finally got both socks on and his flannel buttoned when he bumped into Dean on the way to the kitchen, “Hey man, watch where you’re walkin'! What’s the rush?” Dean straightened out his t-shirt then fist bumped Sam on the shoulder. Sam huffed, straightening out his clothes as well, “Dude it’s already like, 9:40. We should’ve been up hours ago.”

“Yeah… well, some of us have had a tough mornin’. It doesn’t hurt to sleep in once in a while ya know.” Dean shoved past his brother when Sam turned around and called out, “That’s what you get for drinking a whole case during movie night, jerk!”

Continuing forward, Dean didn’t look back when he flipped Sam the bird and yelled back, “Bitch!”

 

******

 

Dean was sitting at their impressive map table, sipping on his morning coffee while flipping through the latest issue of Busty Asian Beauties when Sam spoke up.

“Hey, so get this. There’ve been two missing persons reports this week right here in Lebanon. It says here that, ‘12-year-old, Martha Franklin and 7-year-old, Jesse Franklin were reported missing this Tuesday at their home around 5 pm.’ It also says that they were last seen playing in the front yard before their mother went inside to take a phone call.”

Listening intently to Sam’s every word, Dean quietly shook his head when Sam finished his spiel, “That just sounds like a normal kidnapping Sammy. Nothing supernatural about that.” Sam shook his head right back at Dean, “No, but you haven’t heard the best part. The mother made a statement yesterday and she claimed that when she finished her phone call and went back outside to check on the kids… get this… she believed that she saw orange and grey smoke surrounding the entire tire swing where the kids were playing. Then one black and white cat, which she had never seen before, ran up to the doorstep and started clawing at her feet. She said it was the most vicious thing she’d ever seen, so she called animal control to take it to the shelter. But, seeing as how violent it was I don’t think they’d be willing to keep it for long.”

“Okay… so, mysterious orange and grey smoke and evil cats. What do you think it could be? A demon? An angel maybe? Oh! Or maybe a witch with a master plan to take over the world with cats! Heh…Yeah, I like the last one.” Dean imitated an old woman’s voice, “You shall bow down before me or you shall taste the wrath of my furry feline friends!” Dean threw his head back in a guffaw of laughter, gasping for breath.

Sam threw ‘Bitchface #2’ in Dean’s direction, “Dude, this is serious. There’re two missing children and some weird crap going on. I think we should go check it out. Besides, it’s only a few minutes’ drive, we’ve gone a lot further for a lot less.”

Dean finally controlled his laughing fit and agreed, “Okay Sam, we’ll check it out. Do ya think we need to call Cas to tag along with us? He might know a little somethin’ about orange and grey smoke.”

When Sam nodded the ‘okay’ to call Cas and got up to start preparing all the necessities, Dean dug into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through the A’s and B’s until his thumb finally found ‘Castiel’ in his contacts. He clicked dial and waited until the ringing stopped and heard the other man’s deep, rumbly voice in the speaker.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Cas, hey. Me and Sam found a hunt right in Lebanon and we were wonderin’ if you’d like to tag along and help us check it out?”

“Of course, Dean. What is it that you are hunting?”

“Well, we’re thinkin’ it might be a witch with a master plan to take over the world with evil cats. That sound like enough fun for ya?”

“Dean… I really doubt that it is possible to take over the world with evil cats. Let alone cats in general. Although, did you know that during the Middle Ages, cats were associated with witchcraft, and on St. John’s Day, people all over Europe would stuff them into sacks and toss the cats into bonfires. On holy days, people celebrated by tossing cats from church towers. So, perhaps there could be evil cats, but then again that was the belief hundreds of years ago and humans have grown to be more accepting over the years- “

“Cas! Cas. Okay, I get it. Cats may or may not be evil. But this isn’t history class dude, don’t bore me with Middle Ages trivia.”

“My apologies, Dean. I did not mean to bore you with facts. It just seemed interesting at the time. Ah, and I remember being there. Those people were so cruel to the kittens… but, that was a long time ago and I much prefer the humans in this century.”

“Alright, Wikipedia. Just poof on down here and we’ll head out then.”

Dean was sitting with both elbows propped up on the map table, waiting for Cas’ response when he heard that familiar ‘whu-puff.’ Standing right behind Dean, Cas’ gravelly voice rang out through the room, “I’m here now.”

Dean jumped and stumbled out of his chair. Turning around to face Cas, he pointlessly said into the phone, “Yeah… I get that.” Cas stood without moving and stared at Dean with that all too familiar gaze, “I’m going to hang up now.” Dean chuckled and shook his head, “Yeah.” He took the phone down from his ear and pressed the ‘end call’ button, while Cas did the same. When he looked up again he was a little stunned to realize how close they were standing to each other.

Although he found that, surprisingly, he was beginning to enjoy the closeness… he couldn’t let Cas know that. He took a couple of steps to the side, avoiding the chair that had fallen over, “Come on Cas, we’ve talked about this… personal space.”

“My apologies, Dean. When should we head out?” Tilting his head, Cas now acquired his trademark ‘puppy dog squint’ which Dean would call adorable, but you just don’t say that type of thing about another guy. Let alone be allowed to think it. Dean internally shook himself and looked at the time on his phone.

“We’ll leave in a half hour. Me and Sam are gonna pack a duffel, so I guess you can sit down and relax or whatever.” Dean glanced at Cas, seeing a silent nod in his direction, to make sure the plan was good before striding down the hall and into his room.

 

******

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what's up with the orange and grey smoke? Why were Martha and Jesse taken in the first place? Is this the work of witches or some other being?
> 
> Ah! Those funny looking words in the beginning are actually Latin. I just put together a few words and threw them in google translate... so don't hunt me down if it's incorrect! Anyways, here's the translations:
> 
> "cum in potestate cristallo" - "with the power of the crystal"
> 
> "asportabit te in locis desertis mundi magicae, quae in terra" - transport thyself to the adjacent world in which magic inhabits the land"
> 
> And one more thing... as I update, try and figure out what's in common with the chapter titles. :)


	2. You Shook Me

When everything was packed and ready to go, the three of them piled into the Impala. Dean driving (of course), Sam in the passenger seat, and Cas seated quietly in the back. The air was obnoxiously silent, so Dean broke the calm, “Hey, Cas. Can you hand me a tape from back there?”

“Of course.” Cas reached to the right side of the seat towards the huge box and began rummaging through the cassette tapes, “What would you like to listen to?” Dean peered into the rearview mirror to see Cas squinting into the box, probably trying to decipher what Dean would or wouldn’t like to hear.

Dean chuckled fondly as he saw the gears start turning in Cas’ head, “I don’t know, man. Just pick something.”

Sam’s eyes went wide at that; Dean didn’t normally let other people pick the music. ‘Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole,’ after all.

Cas continued to rummage through the box when apparently something caught his eye, “Oh! I’ve heard about this man. They used to call him ‘the King’ I believe, but I’ve never actually heard his music… Dean, do you mind if we play this one?”

Dean’s face went pale, “Uh… Elvis? You found Elvis back there?” Sam chuckled, ignoring Dean’s glare.

“Yes. Do you mind if we play it?” Cas tilted his head in question.

Dean glanced into the rearview mirror, seeing Cas’ hopeful expression. Although he was hesitant, he agreed, “Sure, I guess. Pass it up.”

He took the tape from Cas’ hand, fingers brushing. He quickly pulled away and shoved it in the console, “This is a one-time deal, got it?”

Cas smiled and nodded, entranced as the Impala was filled with Elvis’ talented voice singing ‘Devil in Disguise.’

 

**********

 

Baby roared into the motel parking lot, which was located just on the edge of Lebanon. Dean cut the engine, swinging his door open and stepping out on wobbly legs, “Dude, I don’t know how long we’ve been drivin’, but my legs are killin’ me.”

Sam made his way to the motel door, Cas not far behind, and called out, “Come on, Dean! It was only, like, half an hour!” Cas caught up to Sam’s side, correcting his mathematical calculations, “Sam, it was 32 minutes and 55 seconds since we left the bunker’s driveway.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sam said, waving his hand in a noncommittal gesture, “Thanks Cas.” He jammed the motel key into the slot, turning the knob and entering the less than desirable room, “Alright, Cas. You can just chill for now, me and Dean will bring in the duffels and cooler.”

Cas nodded in reply and made his way to the bed closest to the wall, away from the door. He slowly shucked his trench coat off, gently placing it on the edge of the bed. Then, took off his black suit coat, draping that alongside the trench, and began to undo his blue tie when he heard a soft gasp come from the door. He turned around to see Dean standing stock-still in the doorway, holding his duffel in one hand and his set of keys in the other, “Dean… are you alright?”

Broken out of his daze, but still looking shocked he silently nodded and cautiously walked over to the foot of the bed were Cas was standing. He dropped his keys on the nightstand and his duffel on the floor beside it, looking a bit lost after he had done so. Cas looked over at Dean, still seeing his tense shoulders and wide eyes, “Dean… are you sure you’re alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Dean nodded once again, determined to not any emotions show, “Yeah, Cas…. I’m good. I just…” He began uncharacteristically fidgeting, leaning on one foot then the other.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he forced himself to play it cool, “Yeah, it was just a long drive… and man am I tired! Whew! No ghost sightings here… well, not yet anyway… ha!” Failing miserably at his attempt to seem unaffected, he made matters worse by nervously rubbing the back of his neck whilst avoiding Cas’ stare.

Cas still seemed skeptical, so he gave up. Simply because Dean is a force to be reckoned with when he’s determined to hide something, “Well… alright… Oh, and Dean… might I ask, but what will be the sleeping arrangements? I see that there are only two beds and, well, there are three of us.” He was gazing at Dean with those incredible ocean-blue eyes, looking serious as ever when he continued his rambling, “I could possibly take the couch if that is easiest for you and Sam, but I am not sure how desirable the cushions are…” His thoughts trailed off when Sam stood in the doorway, clearing his throat.

“Guys. Nobody. And I mean nobody should have to sleep on that piece of junk they call a couch. Cas, you’ll share Dean’s bed. I don’t think you’ll appreciate my ‘moose limbs’ as Dean calls them.” Sam chuckled and walked over to the dining table, setting the cooler on the floor beside it. Then proceeding to his claimed bed closest to the door, dropping his duffel adjacent to Dean’s between the two beds.

He looked over at Dean and Cas, only seeing what he sees practically every time he looks at them. Cas was staring at Dean with a questioning glint in his eye, most likely seeing if the sleeping arrangements were alright. And Dean was looking at Cas wide-eyed, almost panicking like a friggin’ five-year-old just over sharing a bed.

There was an elephant in the room called “sexual tension” and it was becoming suffocating. Sam rolled his eyes and plopped down on his bed, internally laughing at his emotionally constipated big brother.

 

**********

 

The three men took a couple hours’ break before resuming their newly acquired case. Sam was currently rummaging through his duffel, taking his precious laptop out whilst Dean and Cas were quietly talking about nothing in particular at the dining table.

Sam walked over to join his brother and best friend at the table, laptop in hand, “Hey, guys. I think we’ve had enough down time for now… how about some research? We should probably figure out what we’re dealing with.”

He looked up at the other two to see Cas nodding his head and Dean with a pained look on his face, head thrown back with exasperation, “Ughhh…. alright. You start the research, Sammy, and me and Cas’ll go pick up a couple’a six-packs.”

Dean started to stand when Sam pointed out in his petulant younger brother way, “Sure, Dean. Leave all the leg work to me. Nothing new.”

Working his way out of the chair, Dean reached to grab his keys off the nightstand, “Hey! I’m doing us a favor here. You don’t wanna be left with all this work and no alcohol. It’s not right! Live a little, Sam!” He started walking towards the door, calling back, “Come on, Cas! We don’t have all day! Sammy here is getting his panties in a bunch.”

Cas slowly rose to his feet, shooting a concerned glance to the younger Winchester. Sam just jerked his head in Dean’s direction in reply.

Nodding his understanding, Cas walked to the door and carefully shut it without making a sound. He joined Dean in the Impala, sitting in the passenger seat. Dean put the keys in the ignition, starting his beloved car. He reached into the backseat, blindly pulling out his favorite AC/DC cassette tape and jamming it into the console.

As the rumble of Baby’s engine signaled their departure, Sam shook his head and resumed his search for information on the case. The fading echo of the Impala and the sound of Sam’s fast fingers hitting the keyboard were the only things occupying the silent atmosphere of the motel.

 

**********

 

Yawning, Sam absently checked the time on the motel nightstand and realized Dean and Cas had been gone for a while. Much longer than it takes for a simple beer run. He shrugged, they’d probably be back soon enough. Looking back at all the information he had collected while they were gone, Sam felt like he had done well… despite having done all the work himself.

He was clicking through all the tabs of articles he found when he heard keys unlock the motel door. Swiveling around in his chair, Sam saw Dean and Cas make their way into the room, “Wow. It took you guys long enough. What the hell were you doing?” Cas walked over to the bed, plopping down on the old mattress and Dean made his way to the dining area.

Dean shrugged at Sam’s unimpressed face and shoved the cases of beers in the fridge, “Dude, chill. We just went to the bar. And before you say, ‘Dean. You left me here to do all the work while you guys went out drinking?!’ Don’t even start. Me and Cas were actually doin’ some work, if you can believe it.”

Cas was sitting on he and Dean’s shared bed when he spoke up, “Dean’s right, Sam. We went to the local bar called Vinny’s, it was quite a nice establishment actually. Lovely décor…“

“Okay, Cas. The place was nice. Get to the point.” Dean rolled his eyes at the other man and sat beside him on the bed.

“Right. Well, we went to Vinny’s because Dean said he wanted to grab a drink and scope out the locals, but we saw the mother of the missing children there. She was one of the bartenders.” Cas now had both legs on the bed Indian style, left knee brushing against Dean’s thigh, “When we went up to her to get some more information, she agreed to tell us what she knew. So, Sam, like Dean said… we were actually working.”

Sam nodded his head in defeat, “Okay… Sorry guys… I’m just tired. But, I did find some pretty interesting information regarding witches and a possible explanation for the cat. It’s all Medieval Age stuff so I don’t know how accurate it is… anyways, tell me what the mother said at the bar. Anything useful?”

Dean nodded his head, “Well, we asked her if she noticed anything unusual before her children’s disappearance and she said other than the smoke and the cat… nothing.”

“But, she did say that when she got home from the store, the vase that was on their foyer table was on the ground… smashed. She asked the kids if they did it and they said that the dog did. She didn’t believe them so she sent them outside to play while she cleaned it up. Then she sat outside for a bit, her phone rang, and you guys know the rest. Doesn’t really seem useful though… just normal family stuff.”

Sam agreed, “Yeah. So, nothing else? Flickering lights? Strange bags? Anything?”

Cas nodded his head, then reached over to put his hand on Dean’s thigh. Unaware of the man tensing up beside him, “Dean, didn’t she say that there was a mailwoman who walked by before she went in? She said she seemed suspicious, but overlooked it at the time.”

Cas’ hand was still set on his friend and when he glanced over, Dean quickly stood up and practically ran to the fridge. He opened it and grabbed a beer, popping the top off and taking a long swig before replying to Cas’ observation, “Yeah… that’s right. But don’t you think that’s normal too? I mean, a mailwoman in a suburban neighborhood? Nothin’ really suspicious about that.”

Dean chanced a glance at Cas, who looked startled by Dean’s sudden change in mood, “Yes, it sounds normal… but, Dean, she said the mailwoman was not actually carrying any mail nor driving a mail truck. She was just walking around the neighborhood. Does that not strike you as suspicious?”

Instead of joining Cas on the bed he made his way to the dining table, taking a seat there, “Sure, I guess. So, do ya think this mailwoman is our main suspect? How do we even track down what company she’s from? She could be from anywhere… FedEx… UPS… I don’t friggin’ know!” Dean overdramatically slammed his beer bottle on the table, emphasizing his point.

Watching the whole exchange, Sam thought that they fought like an old married couple. He interrupted the slightly awkward silence by trying to be at least somewhat helpful, “Guys, we can deal with tracking her down tomorrow. Right now, we need to look through what’s what and figure out who this woman is, if she really is our suspect.”

Sam glanced over at Dean sitting beside him at the dining table, seeing a silent nod, “Yeah, okay. What did ya find out on that nerd contraption of yours?” Dean vaguely pointed to Sam’s laptop then gulped down another swig of beer.

Gathering his thoughts, Sam brought up the article with the most useful information, “So get this. The article here says, ‘In some traditions of modern Paganism, including the various Wiccan paths, the concept of an animal familiar is incorporated into practice. Today, a familiar is often defined as an animal with whom we have a magical connection, but in truth, the concept is a bit more complex than this.’ So, that could explain the cat. Because it also says that ‘the most common species of animal that the witch’s familiar could inhabit is a cat, especially black ones; however, they are not limited to felines. Other common forms can include a frog, dog, or any other being in the animal kingdom that reflects the personality of their superior being.”

“Sometimes though, a familiar can be forced upon another by someone, or something, with very strong magical abilities… and these forced bonds have been believed to have evil intent. These forced bonds can be broken if, and only if, the physical connection is severed by a stronger one. That stronger connection has been rumored to be a ‘true other half,’ or rather a reflection of each other that is so close, so tangible, that each of their beings gravitate to one another.” Sam paused, quite likely for dramatic effect.

“That being said, a familiar with a mutual, physical connection with their being can be seen as a guide. Many believe that these ‘other halves’ are able to sense the good or evil within a person. If they believe that another person, or being, permits a threat towards their superior, they may take any means possible to discard of the threat. But, there have been recordings in the past where a witch’s familiar has confused an ordinary decision, such as lying, as evil intent. Therefore, although familiar guides can be useful, they can also can cause unsuspecting harm to innocent people… so could that explain why the kids were taken? They lied to their mom about breaking the vase?” Sam shifted in his seat, glancing up to see if he still has the other men’s attention.

Dean nodded his head, agreeing, “Yeah, probably right… little monsters.”

Sam chuckled and looked back at his laptop, scrolling down the page a bit, “But, get this… it says here that ‘in some Scandinavian countries, familiars were associated with spirits of the land and nature. Fairies, dwarves, and other elemental beings were believed to inhabit the physical bodies of animals. But, once the Christian church came along, this practice went underground -- because any spirit other than an angel must be a demon.’ So, maybe the witch was working with evil fairies or something like that? Because, I mean, the orange and grey smoke doesn’t usually happen with normal witchcraft. It’s usually a hex bag or something… and I find it hard to believe that a demon, angel, or anything else could be behind all of this.”

When Sam looked over at Dean, he was amused to see his brother beginning to look bored, despite his interest in for the case, “Okay… yeah, I guess that makes sense. So… what? Are we sayin’ that there’s a rogue witch on the loose workin’ with fairies? Seems a bit far-fetched to me… evil fairies? Come on, Sam….” Dean paused, then glanced over at his angel, “What do you think Cas?”

Cas looked thoughtful for a moment, taking in all the new information, “Well, I suppose the situation is plausible. Not all witches believe what the rest of their coven does… I think that the cat the mother saw was most likely a faerie, maybe even an evil one… considering the vicious behavior of it as well as the smoke. And looking at the situation as a whole… I believe that there is something much bigger going on than just one evil witch and her familiar.” He looked to the table, where the brothers sat, seeing two nods in agreement.

Dean stood up, beer in hand, and walked over to the bed. He dramatically yawned whilst flopping down on his side of the mattress, “Alright, sounds good to me. I don’t know ‘bout you guys, but I’m ready to hit the hay. This sounds like tomorrow’s job.”

Sam nodded in agreement, “Yeah I was thinking the same thing. We’ll head out tomorrow morning and see if we can track down this witch.”

 

**********

 

The next morning, the sun shone through the motel’s windows, slanting through the gap in the curtains giving the room a warm glow to start the day. All three men were sound asleep, Sam in his bed and Dean and Cas in the other, when Sam’s alarm began blaring Heat of the Moment.

As if in unison, they all jumped up in a panic as Asia’s classic song continued to play on the loudest volume setting. Sam hurriedly reached to the nightstand, grabbed his phone, and practically punched the ‘snooze’ button. He swung his long legs over the side of the bed muttering a quiet, “Sorry…” to Dean and Cas before digging into his duffel to find some clothes.

While Sam was preoccupied with picking the right flannel for the day, Cas groaned and slammed his head back onto his pillow. Dean chuckled, throwing his legs off of the bed and headed to the bathroom to start his morning ritual.

Cas heard the shower start up, letting him know that it would be a while before he would get to use the restroom himself.

Knowing he should probably get out of bed, he sighed something dramatic before rising and rubbing furiously at his eyes.

He was pulled out of his grumpy, early morning pout when Sam slapped him on the shoulder, “Not a morning person huh, Cas?” Cas shook his head, looking as disheveled as Sam had ever seen him. Sam laughed and padded his way into the mini kitchen area to make his cup of who-the-hell-even-drinks-this-stuff coffee.

**********

 

By the time the two brothers and their ex-angel were ready for the day, it was a little past 10:00 am. Since they didn’t need to pass FBI, or anything of the like, today they dressed up in their usual flannel and jeans, while Cas wore his customary suit and blue tie, which he always topped with his ever-present trench coat.

They were just pulling out of the motel parking lot when Dean spoke up, “Alright, so I know we went over this before we left, but where the hell are we gonna start?” He glanced once at Cas in the rearview mirror, then at his brother.

Sam looked over at Dean from the passenger seat, shaking his head, “I don’t really know… I was thinking we could maybe check out UPS first? See if there are any employees there fitting the mother’s description?”

Nodding his head, Dean asked, “Okay, sure. We can do that. But, what was the description she gave again? I… I forgot.”

Sam blew out a huff of air, “Dean, you’ve really got to pay attention sometimes. I repeated this, like, twice before we left.”

“Hey! You can’t fault a guy for havin’ bad memory! Just tell me what she looked like.” Dean replied, gaze never wavering from the open road.

“Alright, alright. Whatever. The mother said she was tall with a slim, curvy figure; she had curly, black hair that reached just past her shoulders; and she said she had light brown, tanned skin. There. I am not repeating it again. Cas can tell you if you forget again, Jerk.” Sam looked back at Cas for a brief second to see him smiling from his seat at the brothers’ bickering.

“Bitch” Dean pulled one hand off the steering wheel and reached over to punch Sam the shoulder, “Fine, I won’t forget. And besides, Cas doesn’t mind refreshing my memory, do ya Cas?”

Cas looked up to meet Dean’s eyes in the rearview mirror, “No, Dean. I do not mind refreshing your memory. I understand that most humans’ storage capacity is nothing compared to angels. So, no Dean. I would love to assist in helping you regain your memory, even if it is something as simple as a short description of a young woman.” Although his tone was mocking, Cas said all of this in all seriousness, gravelly voice ringing out and blue eyes piercing Dean’s in the mirror.

Dean laughed out loud at Cas’ slight mockery, “Thanks, Cas. I appreciate that. Just don’t go around comparin’ all the time. That’s not really somethin’ that’ll land right with the ordinary people.”

Seeing Cas’ confused frown, Dean waved off the comment and opted to turn the radio’s volume up. Warrant’s ‘Cherry Pie’ blared through the Impala’s speaker, filling the car with loud guitar riffs and drum beats.

Dean fist bumped the air, getting into the beat, “Ah, man! I love this song!”

“She’s my cherry pie!”

“Cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise!”

“Tastes so good make a grown man cry,”

“Sweet cherry pieeeee!”

“YEAH!” He took one hand off of the wheel and began violently strumming an air guitar, all while embarrassingly imitating the sound of the strings.

Dean was smiling so wide when he looked at Sam in the passenger seat, and Sam couldn’t help but smile boyishly back. Bobbing his head, he joined Dean in the beat while singing along. During one of the guitar riffs, he looked to the backseat to see Cas silently enjoying the scene before him. Sam gestured to the dash of the Impala, “Hey! Come on, Cas! I know you wanna join in too!”

Because Dean was so immersed in the classic song, he didn’t notice Cas’ rumbly voice joining in alongside him and his brother, bobbing his head as well. Although Cas wasn’t well educated in music, he knew this song fairly well. Only thanks to hearing it multiple times while accompanying Dean on various hunts or supply runs.

The song eventually faded out, the radio switching to some commercial about the local chicken joint. Dean turned the volume down from the notch reserved for the good songs, “Not some stupid commercial.” The rest of the car ride to UPS was spent in a comfortable silence, listening to the quiet sound of the man reciting how great Sonny’s chicken is.

 

**********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... a witch and her familiar?


	3. Bring It On Home

“Well, that was an hour of my life I’ll never get back…” Dean opened the Impala’s door and slid inside, harrumphing when he sat down, “I swear, my legs are killing me! We just stood there for a whole hour, getting jack-squat done while that lady went through the ENTIRE data base! We only needed to see the employee pictures, dammit!”

Cas and Sam slid into the car much more gracefully than Dean’s little show. Sam sighed and then quietly laughed at Dean’s discomfort, “Dude, you’re getting old. I think that’s the problem. Have a little patience once in a while.” Dean glared in Sam’s direction, definitely not using one of the many ‘Bitchfaces’ that Sam has perfected because, ‘I’m not the one who’s a moody nerd in this bunch, Sam.’

Sam just glared back at Dean. Turning around to glance at Cas then swiveling back to face forward, he asked the group, “So… since nobody fit the description at UPS… what do we do now? Check out FedEx?”

The question lingered in the air until Cas spoke up from the backseat, “Well, we could see if there is a mailwoman, fitting the profile that the mother described, working at FedEx… but I think that it is much more likely that this ‘witch’ or whatever being she is, could have taken a claim on an abandoned building or barn, perhaps?”

Finally breaking out of his hissy fit, Dean agreed with Cas, “So… drive around abandoned roads and hope we come across somethin’?”

Sam nodded, “Seems like the best bet we’ve got.”

Cas broke their brainstorming silence, “Maybe you and Dean could try to find this abandoned building, if there is one, and I could visit this cat at the shelter? If it really is a faerie, I might be able to communicate with it… although, I’m not sure if it would talk to me voluntarily… maybe I could bribe it with treats? Cats like treats, correct? I’ve heard cat nip…”

Dean cut off his questioning with a loud burst laughter, “Sure, Cas. I bet it’d like that.” He shook his head, “Just make sure it ain’t evil before you go and bond with it or whatever.”

“So… cat nip is an adequate treat for felines?” Cas tilted his head in question.

Dean chuckled, “Yup. Cats love the stuff. Practically gets ‘em high.”

Cas nodded, “Alright. Should we stop by the pet store for supplies?”

“I’m sure they have some at the shelter, Cas” He looked at Cas in the rearview mirror, seeing Cas nod again, “If you are certain, Dean. I do not want to disappoint it…”

Dean shook his head, “You won’t disappoint it, Cas. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Dean slapped a hand on his thigh, “Alright! Cas, we’ll drop you off to go play with the cats. But right now, I’m starving! How about we hit up a diner?” Hearing a ‘sure’ and ‘alright’ from his brother and his friend, Dean took a left and headed to the place that served the best burgers in town.

 

**********

The bell above the door jingled as Sam, Cas, and Dean entered the quiet, old-fashioned diner called Mama Jay’s. The young woman behind the counter gestured for them to claim a seat, Dean waving back in response.

Dean slid into the side of the booth facing the door, Cas following gracefully behind him while Sam squeezed into the side opposite of them.

The waitress that greeted them arrived with three menus and a notepad in hand. After placing the menus in front of each of them, she reached up and untucked the pen that was between her ear and silky blonde hair, “Hi! Welcome to Mama Jay’s! May I interest ya’ll in our special for the day? It’s our double bacon cheeseburger topped with our homemade sauce.”

Dean looked up from the menu he was currently studying, “Hell yeah! I’ll take the special and your best beer on tap.” He winked at the waitress, folding up the menus and handing it to her.

Blushing, she wrote down his order, “Alright, great choice! What about you?” She turned in Cas’ direction as he looked up at her, “I’ll have the same as Dean.”

“Gotcha. And you, sir?” She asked, looking at Sam.

“I’ll just have a veggie wrap and an iced tea.” He smiled, ignoring the eye roll from Dean.

“Great. Your drinks will be out in a minute.” Flipping her notebook closed and tucking her pen back behind her ear, she made her way to the kitchen.

Dean watched her walk away as she swayed her hips flirtatiously. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, “Dude. You’re gross.”

“You can’t fault a guy for lookin’, Sammy. Don’t even say you haven’t done it.” He smirked at Sam, hearing a chuckle work its way through his little brother, “Ha! See, told ya!”

Sam just shook his head, quietly laughing, “Whatever, Dean. Anyways, we should probably talk about business.”

Dean and Cas nodded their heads, Cas speaking up, “Yes. Well, I’m not sure there’s much more to discuss. We already know that this woman is most likely a witch with her familiar. And we know that this familiar is most likely a faerie being.”

He glanced at the brothers, “The only thing we are not certain about is if this pair simply thinks that they protecting themselves from threats, or if they are truly evil and there is much more to the situation than what we can see. I believe it is the latter, considering that is usually what happens during our experiences.”

Sam nodded, “Yeah, I agree with Cas.” He looked over at his brother, “Dean?”

“Mhm. So, we’re thinking another big bad?” He asked looking at Sam and Cas, seeing nods in agreement, “But is it Apocalypse bad or Leviathan bad? Personally, I’d take another round with the angel douchebags than toy around with those monsters.”

Cas looked to the side at the mention of his family, sighing. Before anyone could comment, the uncomfortable silence was broken.

The waitress placed a beer, each in front of Dean and Cas while she dropped a glass of iced tea in front of Sam, “Alright, ya’lls food will be out in a moment.”

The three men thanked her, Dean subtly watching her swivel around, hair flowing and hips swaying.

Sam rolled his eyes once again, “Dude, thirsty much?” Dean smirked then winked at his brother, “You know it, Sammy.” He lifted his beer to his lips, taking a large gulp.

Sam chuckled and shook his head at his womanizer of a big brother.

 

**********

 

The time passed quickly as the boys waited for their meals. They talked about nothing in particular; Dean and Sam having a heated debate about whether Superman or Batman would kick whose butt in a fight, while Cas silently watched the spectacle. The waitress returned with three plates balanced expertly on her arms.

She placed their meals in front of them, and then quietly saying an, “Enjoy!” She gracefully turned around, leaving them to resume their conversation.

“Dude! Batman is, like, nine times better than Superman!” Dean was reclined back, arm draped across the back of the booth almost reaching over to Cas. Unaware that one slight movement to the right and his fingertips could easily be touching the nape of his friend’s neck.

“Okay, no. Superman is _obviously_ better. Batman doesn’t even have real powers!” Sam was flailing his arms dramatically, trying to prove his point.

“Whatever, Sammy. We’re gonna do this later and _I’m_ gonna win. But, right now I’m gonna enjoy the best burger in town!” Dean smiled at his burger hungrily and eagerly reached for it. Taking his first bite, he said with his mouth full, “Oh, yeah… yeah this is good.”

Sam made a disgusted face at Dean’s lack of manners, “You want a room with that thing?”

“Mhmm… oh, this is good. You don’t know what you’re missing, Sammy!”

“I know exactly what I’m missing… a ticket straight to the wonderful world of diabetes. Good luck in your older years, Dean… if we even make it that far.”

Dean chuckled, “So worth it!” He dug into another bite before jerking his head up, swiveling to the right at the sound of Cas groaning.

Cas had a mouthful of burger, lips and chin shining with grease, “Oh my… these make me… very happy.”

Dean was staring at his friend, entranced by the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. Coughing, he cleared his throat, “Yeah… yeah I can see that Cas… you sure you’re not the one who needs a room?” He played off his lapse, smirking at Sam.

Turning to wink at Cas, he wasn’t prepared to see a pink blush working its way up Cas’ neck, “I have not had the chance to enjoy one of these in a long time.”

Dean slapped Cas on the shoulder, “Well, enjoy it while you can buddy. ‘Cause we’ve got work to do after this.”

 

**********

 

After their diner adventure, Baby swerved into the local shelter’s parking lot, stopping in front of the main doors. Cas opened his door, swung his legs over and gracefully slid out of the car. After shutting the door softly, he made his way to the entrance. He was halfway there when Dean called out, “Cas! If anything goes wrong or you learn somethin’ new, call us ya hear?”

Cas turned around and nodded an affirmative. Once he got the thumbs up from Dean, he turned back around and pushed open the shelter’s door.

 

**********

 

 _Bing! Bing!_ The bell above the door rang, signaling that a new customer just entered the store.

Lizzie jumped out of her the old, plastic chair, throwing her iPod and earbuds on the seat. She excitedly hopped up to the counter, blonde hair flowing from its ponytail as she moved about. Talking as fast as a hummingbird, she greeted her first customer of the day, “Hi! I’m Lizzie! Welcome to Wags and Tags! May I help you, sir?” She stuck her hand straight out for a handshake.

The man standing before her just stared at her hand. His gravelly voice rang out through the lobby, “Um… yes… uh, I am looking for a black cat… with maybe a few spots of white?” He awkwardly rubbed his neck and looked up at Lizzie with the most beautiful, ocean blue eyes she’d ever seen.

He was a very pretty man, if she was honest. Tall with slightly tanned skin, looking like he flourished in a sunny state like Florida even though at first glance you’d think he’d be pale from appearance. He had disheveled dark brown hair, an adorably backwards blue tie, and a long tan trench coat. Oh, and those lips. She thought they were the most perfectly sculpted pair she had ever seen. Everything about the man was attractive, despite having a bit of trouble with his ‘people skills.’

After a moment of admiring the man she finally replied, “Ah, yes! We just got a new one in a couple days ago. He’s got ‘white mittens’ on his four paws, and white patch on his chest like a tux shirt. He’s got these AMAZING blue eyes too! Actually, just like yours…huh! Anyways, a rascal that little thing is! Ha!” The man smiled and nodded, seeing how passionate she was when talking about the animals. He absently thought that her bubbly personality was infectious.

Lizzie gestured to the back door, “I could show you if you’d like… we have a couple others, but they’re either tabby or all white…” He shook his head, “No thank you, ma’am. I would like to look at the black one, please.”

She nodded and started walking to the back room, lined with cages. Looking at the cages as she walked in, she sighed. Seeing all these homeless cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies always made her feel sorry for them. She wished that she could take them all home so they would all get the love that they deserve.

The man spoke up behind her, bringing Lizzie out of her daydream, “Is this the one? The cat you took in a couple days prior?” He was standing with his nose practically through the bars, looking at the cat nestled in the corner.

Lizzie nodded, “Yep! That’s the one! We haven’t been able to give him the customary shots or anything… the little guy won’t let any of our team near him… not even Vikki… and she’s, like, the best vet we have! All the animals absolutely adore her!”

The man, barely paying attention to the young woman, reached his hand towards the kennel latch. Before he touched it he turned his head and asked, “Do you mind if I open this? He may prefer a male? All of the people on your team are females, correct?”

Lizzie looked at him with wide eyes, “Um… yeah. Here at the shelter it’s me, Vikki, Rainy, and Taylor most of the time. But, there’s a couple of other woman who volunteer when they’re able.”

He nodded his head, hand finishing its way toward the latch. When he turned the lock and slid it to the side, curious black ears popped up from its little ball. He swung the door open all of the way, reaching a hand inside and bringing out a gentle voice reserved for special occasions, “Shhh. Shhh, it’s okay little one. I won’t hurt you. I’m one of the good guys, an angel if you could believe it.” He smiled, loving the chance to be gentle to something for once.

The black and white fluff-ball cautiously stood up, taking in the mysterious man before him. Sniffing the air, he took careful steps towards the opening of the cage. When he got close enough, the man reached his arm inside to hover under the cat’s nose. He sniffed the hand offered to him and began purring like Lizzie had never seen him do before in the days that she’s known him.

When the cat tilted his head to scratch against the guy’s hand, she was astounded, “Dude! Are you, like, a cat-whisperer or something?! He’s never let anyone get that close to him before, let alone purr! Wow! You’re awesome, man!”

The man turned his face to her, smile brighter than the sun. He reached his other hand into the cage, carefully wrapping them beneath the cat’s front legs. Lifting him up, the man gently pulled him to his chest, cradling the small animal in his arms.

He turned to Lizzie, still smiling, “I like him very much. He makes me very, very happy.”

Lizzie smiled back, still completely astounded of the new arrival’s personality change, “I can see that! You know… you could adopt him if you’d like. I’m not sure if anyone else would be able to warm up to him like you just did. So, what do ya say? Wanna help a kitty-cat in need?” She said all this, gesturing widely with her arms and smiling just as bright as the man holding the cat before her.

The man’s smile faltered as he looked down at his new companion. He looked back up, disappointed, “I’m… I’m not sure I would be able to properly take care of him… My lifestyle won’t support such a huge responsibility… besides, I do not have any experience caring for felines…”

He trailed off as Lizzie spoke up, “I could totally hook you up with a care guide! It really isn’t that hard; you’ve just got to make sure that you’re ready for the commitment. And seeing how great you are with him, I don’t think that’d be a problem.”

The man looked back down at the cat cradled in his hands and softly said, “Well… I would very much like to keep him… but I’m not sure if my friends would approve… and Dean’s allergic… and I don’t know how Sam feels about felines… maybe I could compromise? Take care of him all by myself?”

Lizzie eagerly nodded her head, waiting for the man’s decision. He looked back up at her, his decision written plain his face, “I suppose I could take him… does he have a name?”

She shook her head, “No, he doesn’t. That’s one of the great things about strays! You get to pick their name yourself! Here, we’ll walk back to the front and I’ll get all the paperwork sorted out while you decide on his name. Then I’ll type up the adoption certificate and you’ll be all set to start your life with this little rascal! Oh! And I’ll write down my contact information in case you have any questions.” Lizzie smiled wide and turned around, pushing her way through the door to the lobby.

The man adjusted his new friend in his arms, turning to follow the woman through the door.

 

**********

 

Dean was almost speeding down the abandoned road in anger, blaring Metallica through the Impala’s speakers. Sam reached over to the console and turned the volume down, sighing.

The older Winchester glared in Sam’s direction, annoyed with having his ‘remedy music’ turned off. Sam, feeling his fury, glanced at his brother, “Dude. You need to chill. We’ve only been driving for an hour, there’s a lot more to cover… we’re not gonna find her as soon as we start. You of all people should know that.”

Dean huffed, eyes burning a line straight through the windshield, “Yeah, I get it. I do. But, this whole thing feels like a wild goose chase… who knows how long it’ll take to find this bitch.”

Sam nodded his head in understanding, “Maybe we should just call Cas and regroup, resume this thing in an hour or two.”

Glancing over to the passenger seat, Dean nodded,” Yeah… yeah, let’s do that. Hand me my phone will ya?” Sam reached to the backseat where Dean had thrown his phone during his hissy fit, gesturing for his brother to take it.

Dean grabbed his device, taking his eyes off the road for a second to find Cas’ name in his contacts. He hit ‘dial’ and put the phone to his ear, waiting for his friend’s familiar voice.

“Hello, Dean.”

“Hey, Cas. Listen, we’re not having any luck over here… so how ‘bout we meet at the motel and regroup? Resume this wild goose chase later?” He shifted his phone to the other ear, adjusting himself in his seat.

“Of course, Dean. Could you pick me up at the shelter?”

“Did ya break your wings or somethin’? Just poof on down there.” Dean shook his head at his friend, even though he can’t see him.

“Well… Dean… about that… I may have… uh… well, never mind. You will see when you get here.”

Dean chuckled at his friend’s uncharacteristic stuttering, “Alright, Cas. Sure. Me and Sam will be there in 10.”

“Thank you, Dean.”

The line went dead before Dean could reply with his usual, ‘No problem, buddy.’

 

**********

 

Cas was sitting on the curb, adoption certificate in hand and a box that resembled a tiny house. He was playing a game on his phone that Sam had shown him a few weeks ago. It was called ‘Neko Atsume’ and Cas loved it. Sam showed him how to attract different cats to his yard and take cute little pictures of them to upload to his album. He now had all of the cats, except one of the rare ones, and bought the expanded yard and decorated it with the most expensive toys.

When Sam first brought up the new app, Cas argued how, ‘Sam, I do not understand why this game uses fish for currency. It is not the most effective economical system… Although, a few hundred years ago, people bartered for things and perhaps fish could’ve been one of them…”

As he was refilling the cat’s food bowl with Sashimi, Cas jerked his head up when he heard the roar of Dean’s baby pulling in front of him.

He stood, papers and box in hand, and walked to the car as Dean hurriedly slid out and slammed the door, “Cas, dude! What the hell is all that crap?!”

Cas clutched the box’s handle protectively, allowing Dean to snatch the certificate out of his hand, “A cat?! Dude… you… adopted… a… cat…” Dean looked down at the box that housed their new companion, “Wait… Cas, is that _the_ cat?! The evil may-or-may-not be a fairy cat?! What the hell were you thinking, man?!”

Cas flinched at Dean’s aggressiveness, “Dean… I… I didn’t think that you and Sam would mind… I would obviously take care of him myself. You and Sam wouldn’t need to pay for his necessities… I promise he won’t be a burden… He just warmed right up to me and I could not stand to see him put in a cage again. He’s not evil at all. Here…” He set the box on the ground, opening up the paper latch of the tiny home. Reaching inside, he pulled out the little, black and white fluff-ball and cradled it to his chest.

“See, Dean. He is quite sweet. And I know that you are allergic to felines, but I could take care of that…” He looked up to see Dean glaring at the cat, who was snuggling into the lapels of Cas’ trench coat. Dean nodded his head, unable to argue with the hopefulness and sincerity in Cas’ expression.

In a gruff voice, he reluctantly accepted the little monster, “Yeah… okay. I guess you can keep him. It won’t be too bad, huh? What’s the little guy’s name anyway?”

Cas looked up with that same bright smile he had at the shelter, “His name is Led Zeppelin, or Zep for short.”

Dean jerked his head up in surprise, “What?! No way, man! That’s friggin’ awesome!” He unexpectedly threw his arms out to Cas, “Dude, can I hold him?” Cas, his smile never wavering, gently pried Zep off of his chest and held him out to Dean.

Dean eagerly took him, cradling him to his chest the same as Cas did, “Ah, man! This is too friggin’ cute!” He brought one hand up and began stroking the cat’s black, velvet soft ears. When Zep started purring like a machine, Dean thought Sam just had to see this, “SAM! COME OUT HERE!”

Sam looked up from what he was typing on his laptop and peered into the side mirror. His eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw his ‘badass’ big brother cradling a cat like it was the most precious thing in the world. He slammed his laptop shut, threw it in the back, and jumped out the door as fast as he was physically able.

Rounding the side of the car, he stood face to face to the most unbelievable sight he had ever seen. Sam looked between the two men whilst opening and closing his mouth for a good several moments before speaking up, “Uh… Cas… did you, uh, get a cat?”

Cas looked at Sam, a guilty expression shown in his eyes, “Yes… he was just so cute…” He trailed off to glance at his life-long friend, as well as the newly found one snuggled against the other’s chest.

Dean stopped stroking Zep’s ears, looked at Sam and gestured to his chest, “You wanna hold him?”

Sam silently nodded his head, slowly throwing both arms out. Dean carefully placed the cat in Sam’s hands, who immediately cradled him just like his brother did, “So… what’s his name?”

Dean took a few steps to the side and threw an arm around Cas’ shoulders, smiling, “Well, this guy right here thought it’d be a good idea to name him Led Zeppelin. But ya can call ‘em Zep for short.” He turned his head and winked at Cas, who then blushed fiercely.

Cas nodded, “Yes, I thought that you and Dean would appreciate a name honoring your favorite music.” Sam shook his head and response, “Nah. Led Zeppelin is all Dean. He practically grew up on the stuff. Well, I guess I did too… but, that was and still is his thing.”

Dean fist pumped the air and squeezed Cas’ shoulders, “Hell yeah!”

 

**********

 

The three men and their new companion entered the motel room when something occurred to Sam, “Wait, Cas. That doesn’t happen to be the evil fairy cat we were talking about… is it?”

Cas glanced up at Sam then quickly looked at his shoes, “Well… yes? But, Sam, he really is not evil at all. You have seen how sweet he is.” He gave Sam those adorable ‘puppy dog eyes’ and snuggled Zep closer to himself.

Sam sighed, “Yeah, I get that, but… what if he, like, turns vicious or something?”

Dean spoke up where he was setting the cat box and adoption certificate on the dining table, “Sam, stop. Does he honestly look like he’ll hurt anybody? He’s just a tiny fluff-ball. Don’t be so uptight about it.”

Huffing, Sam walked over and sat down on his bed, “Do you really want to take any chances, Dean? What if this thing is just playing with us? Trying to act all cute and cuddly and then he kills us all in our sleep?”

Dean scoffed, “Don’t be so overdramatic Sam. I actually like the little guy. And he’s obviously important to Cas.” Dean turned to him in question.

Still stroking Zep’s fur, Cas nodded his head eagerly, “He makes me very, very happy.”

Sam shook his head at how oblivious the two could be, “Guys, I’m just trying to be cautious… we don’t know the witch’s motives nor do we know what the fairies are involved with. I just don’t want to take any chances that we could avoid...” He looked up to see Cas with a frown on his face and an almost death grip on Zeppelin. Sam sighed, ran a hand through his long hair and shook his head again, “Never mind. Forget I said anything. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Dean nodded and walked over to Cas, reaching for Zep, “Damn straight.”

 

**********

 

**[https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=black+and+white+kitten+blue+eyes&view=detailv2&&id=9E0F68B1D0160D810FC7C1113562BFC1ADCC0059&selectedIndex=20&ccid=vVIOJSmq&simid=608034608429334534&thid=OIP.Mbd520e2529aab3fe4093099f250a5036o0&ajaxhist=0](https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=black+and+white+kitten+blue+eyes&view=detailv2&&id=9E0F68B1D0160D810FC7C1113562BFC1ADCC0059&selectedIndex=20&ccid=vVIOJSmq&simid=608034608429334534&thid=OIP.Mbd520e2529aab3fe4093099f250a5036o0&ajaxhist=0) **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh... so, Cas has a new friend?


	4. Communication Breakdown

Between the two-hour intermission from the ‘wild goose chase,’ Sam, Dean, and Cas all stopped by the local pet store to gather all the necessary supplies to care for their new friend. They were all seated in the Impala, Cas was nestled in the back cuddling a sleeping Zep, Dean was focused on driving, and Sam was typing away on his ‘nerd contraption.’

There was the quiet hum of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Simple Man’ playing through Baby’s speakers when Dean broke the calm, “Okay, so we’ve taken care of Zep… what do we do now? Keep drivin’ around until we find this witch’s hideout?”

Without disturbing Zep, Cas quietly said, “I think that should be our next course of action, yes. But… maybe I could stay with Zep at the motel? I do not want him stuck between the cross-fire if we come across this being.”

Sam glanced back at Cas, see a pleading expression on his face, “Sure, Cas. Me and Dean will drop you guys off, then head out for a couple hours… see if we spot anything.”

Dean nodded from the drivers’ seat while Cas quietly thanked both of the brothers.

 

**********

 

Cas walked into the motel carrying a limp, sleeping Zep and two bags filled with supplies as the Impala roared down the pavement.

He set the paper bags on the dining table and gently placed the unconscious cat on the bed he and Dean shared. Walking over to one of the dining chairs, Cas pulled out his phone and started fiddling with his cat collecting game.

As he was rearranging the furnishings in the expanded yard, Zep began to stir. The cat slowly stood up on all fours and stretched for a good few moments. He walked over to the edge of the bed, jumping off and making his way to Cas.

Cas looked up and smiled at his little friend, then looked back down to resume his game. He was pulled out of his concentration when a voice, that was certainly not Cas’, made itself known in his head. _‘Hey. You, there. What’s your name?’_

Cas jerked his head around the room, startled by the strange sensation, gaze finally landing on the cat sitting by his feet, “What…?”

 _‘I said… what’s your name? Mine is Led Zepplin, correct?’_ Zep looked up at Cas, a questionable glint in his blue eyes.

Staring with wide eyes at his tiny friend, he opened and closed his mouth in shock before finding his voice, “Um… yes? Is that alright?”

Zep nodded, _‘Quite. I like my new title very much.’_

Cas slowly nodded, still skeptical, “Alright… but, how is it that you are communicating with me... with thoughts…?”

Zep walked over to the dining chair, hopping on it and then onto the table. Sitting right in front of Cas he thought _, ‘Well, I am your familiar of course! Didn’t you know? That is why you came for me, correct? We have a physical bond… well, I suppose that you were unaware of that information and were just pulled towards my being… anyhow, yes. I am your familiar and you, sir, are my new ‘other half’ as you could call it.’_

Cas was flabbergasted by this new information, “My… familiar? But… I did not know that angels could have a… familiar… how…” He looked at Zep, head tilted and eyes squinting, like he was trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle.

_‘Yes. Your familiar. Any being can have them… witches, fairies, dwarves, orcs, angels… and even some demons… although it is quite uncommon.’_

 Cas nodded, “Alright… but, my friends and I thought… that you were a faerie… so… you are not a faerie…”

_‘I am not a faerie as much as I am a faeire spirit. I do not have a ‘true form’… which is why I have inhabited the image of a modern feline. Quite cute I am, though, don’t you think?’_

“You are quite… cute. Alright… so you are a… faerie spirit. But, what about the witch? You are her familiar, are you not? I thought those bonds are permanent… unless taken away quite painfully…?” Still staring with wide eyes at Zep, Cas was now more than intrigued to find out what secrets his new familiar held.

_‘I do not remember much about Keela… the last thing I remember was walking through the fields…being at Agrona’s castle in shackles… she gave me cream… then I woke up in a barn, feeling the sensation of a bond with Keela, the witch. I did not know her prior to the bonding… anyways… the last thing I remember before now was the sudden feeling of your light surrounding me.’_

Interested, Cas leaned forward, “So, you are saying that ‘Agrona’ forced a familiar bond between you and… ‘Keela’… and that bond was broken when I arrived at the shelter? But… how? Also, who is Agrona and this castle you mentioned?”

_‘I believe the reasoning for the bond breaking… is that perhaps you are my true ‘other half.’ Because my previous bond was forced, most likely by Agrona… when a stronger, more personal bond was introduced, it had overridden the forced, weak one.’_

Zep lifted one of his paws, grooming himself before he continued, _‘As for Agrona… in Oz, she was the daughter of our King and Queen. But, one day, a few weeks ago I believe… my mind is still a little fuzzy from the bond change… a very powerful faerie stepped up to take over Oz. She wanted half of The Crystal of Purity. So, she took any means necessary to gain what she wanted.’_

_‘The King and Queen perished in the fight with this faerie, leaving their daughter Agrona to take over the thrown. She was so destressed at the loss of her parents, so she decided to get revenge on this faerie.’_

Cas nodded, enraptured in the story, “What did, or is, Agrona planning for this revenge?”

_‘Well, maybe I should mention the powers of The Crystal first…”_

Nodding once again, for Zep to continue, “Of course.”

 _‘Well… The Crystal of Purity was originally meant to bring good and nothing but good to the world. But, with the right spell, the pure nature of The Crystal can be warped. Transformed into something dark and disastrous.’_ Zep shifted on his paws, staring intently at the man before him.

_‘From the whispers I’ve heard in the fields… Agrona tracked the faerie into the forest, destroying her. I suppose the loss of the King and Queen was so destressing that she felt the need to absolutely take over Oz… and not in a way the former King and Queen would approve of.’_

_‘She has planned a spell to bring darkness and death throughout the Faerie world, bleeding the destruction to neighboring dimensions. As far as I know, these dimensions include Oz of course, the earthly plane, and quite possibly the veil. I am not sure if the spell would be able to reach Heaven and Hell… but that is not the point. We need to find a way to stop Agrona and take her from the crown.’_

Cas nodded his head slowly, “Okay… like I said before at the shelter, I am an angel. I could fly us to Oz … but I am not sure how difficult it would be. Traveling through dimensions is not an easy task, even at full power. Well, except for the etheric plane of course. But, I have never visited your world… so I am not sure how well my wings would hold up in that kind of transition…”

_‘Would you be willing to take that risk, angel? It could save our worlds.’_

Leaning back in his chair, thoughtful, Cas decided, “I believe so, yes. It would be nice to help do something purely good for a change.”

“Oh, and Zep… my name is Cas, Castiel.”

_‘Ah, Castiel. I think you have made a very wise, and quite brave decision. Should you summon your friends and tell them the plan?  The tall one and the shorter one?’_

Cas chuckled, “Yes. Sam and Dean. Sam is the taller one, Dean the shorter. They are very good men… the best I have ever known… anyways, yes. I will call them. You can just… uh… play with your toys?”

Somehow the cat snorted, _‘Yes, Castiel. I will play with my toys in the meantime. And thank you.’_

 

**********

 

“Dude, wait! Did you see that? Turn around.” Sam was looking back as Dean kept on driving, “Dean! Turn around!”

“Alright, alright! Calm down, Sammy. Hormones much?” Dean slowed the Impala, making a U-turn in the middle of the two-lane road.

Sam glared at Dean in the driver’s seat, “I thought I saw an old UPS truck by the side of that barn… yeah, here. Turn left.” Dean swerved the car left, taking it down an abandoned dirt road that led up to an abandoned barn. There was, in fact, a UPS truck parked on the right side of the building.

“See, I told you. Who wants to bet that this is our witch?” Sam smiled cockily at Dean, as his brother punched him in the shoulder, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just get the damn guns out already.”

Dean cut the ignition, and both brothers slid out of their respective seats. Dean threw his keys into the unlocked car, then gently shut the door. They rounded to Baby’s trunk, Dean opening the latch with his key. Rummaging through their collection of guns, knives, and other miscellaneous things, Dean grabbed his favorite Colt M19 and Sam his pistol. After they also picked up a flashlight and holy water, just in case, Dean slammed the trunk shut, “We’ve got work to do.”

Shoving the flashlight in Sam’s free hand, Dean turned around and cautiously made his way to the barn’s huge door, Sam close behind. As soon as they both made it to the door, a heavy force flung them on their backs.

Sam went out cold and the only thing Dean could see was curly, black hair flowing in his face. He could feel the painful clawing of long, pointy nails at his chest. They rolled around wrestling for a while until Dean found some extra strength and threw the woman off of him, hard.

She landed on the other side of the room and when Dean regained his composure he heard her begin some sort of chant. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of orange powder, holding it out in front of her.

Dean jerked his head to his brother on the ground when he yelled, “DEAN! HEADS UP!”

 

**********

 

**_Present_ **

****

Dean was collapsed on the ground, the smoke practically suffocating him. He heard the faint sound of gunshots and then the loud thud of someone hitting the ground. Dean prayed to whatever God was listening that the sound didn’t belong to Sammy before he felt the sensation of being lifted up into the air.

The world was spinning, cloudy images of different landmarks floated through his vision. He saw open fields with majestic horses grazing in the grass. Tiny beings walking around, entering equally tiny houses.

There was a bright white flash of light, and then the world as Dean knew it went black.

 

**********

 

“DEAN!” Sam ran over to the area where Dean was collapsed just moments before. The orange and grey smoke thinned out into the air whilst leaving a musty smell. Sam stood stock-still, staring at the thinning smoke.

‘Dean was gone and the witch was dead.’

That was the only phrase that ran through Sam’s head.

‘Dean was gone…

and the witch was dead.’

Sam was still staring at the spot Dean once was when he was broken out of his trance. The song ‘Milkshake’ blared through his phone, interrupting the dead silence of the barn. Fumbling, Sam muttered, “If he isn’t already dead… I’m gonna kill him.”

He rose the device to his ear without checking the caller ID, “Hello?”

“Sam.” Cas’ gravelly voice rang through the tiny speaker.

“Uh… hey, Cas.” Shifting from one foot to the other, Sam wasn’t sure how Cas would take the news when he didn’t understand it himself.

“Sam… is everything alright? I tried calling Dean but he would not answer.”

“Yeah… um… no… well… me and Dean found the witch’s barn where she was hiding out…” Sam pauses, trying to find his words.

“And…” Cas was starting to sound impatient.

“And… she jumped us… she knocked me unconscious and tackled Dean… she started saying this… chant? I threw Dean his gun but then she finished the spell? She blew this orange powder at Dean… she came at me and I shot her down… and… now… he’s… uh… he’s gone?” Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair and pulling on it.

“What do you mean he’s… gone? Gone where?”

“I don’t know… but what do we do Cas? He’s just… gone… just like when you guys went to Purgatory. He just vanished out of thin air.” Sam sounded so distressed, lost without his brother by his side.

Cas sighed, “This is not good at all, Sam”

“Besides my big brother having just DISSAPEARED, what is not good?” Sam began pacing, continuing to look back at the place Dean vanished from.

“I don’t have time to explain it all over the phone. Meet me back at the motel and we will think of a plan.”

Sam sighed once again, “Yeah… yeah, okay. See ya, Cas.”

 

**********

 

Dean awoke staring into the bright, glowing sun. He groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up, “Wha…”

Looking around, he saw that he was sitting in an open field that was filled with lavender flowers. The birds were singing their morning songs, bees fluttering from flower to flower, and horses with, “Horns… are those… unicorns…?” Unicorns were grazing in the tall grass, looking so very majestic surrounded by the endless pool of green and purple.

“I’m totally going insane… I’m insane.” Dean rubbed his jaw, taking in his surroundings. He studied the apparent unicorns. Even though this was absolutely insane, he thought they were quite beautiful creatures. Their coats are white, decorated with specks of silver that glistened beautifully in the sunlight. Each one had a different color mane and horn though, varying from gold, purple, silver, a simple white, an intense black, or even all the colors of the rainbow.

 Gaze drifting from the unusual creatures, Dean noticed a castle far away in the distance and muttered, “Where the hell am I, Scotland?! I bet Crowley had something to do with this, friggin’ ass.” He shook his head and gathered himself to his feet.

Dean spun around, seeing there was a dense forest not far ahead that seemed to go for miles. Before he started to make his way to the brush, he stopped and decided to pray to Cas.

He knelt down, closed his eyes and began to pray to his friend, “I pray to Castiel that you have your ears on… listen, Cas. Short version: me and Sam found the witch, we fought, and she zapped me in the middle of friggin’ nowhere. There’s unicorns man, UNICORNS! I swear I’m going insane… anyways, uh, there’s a castle pretty far off in the distance if that helps? Look, get here fast, man. I don’t know what to do or where to go... I’m just gonna go to the forest… seems like my best option right now… so, if you and Sam figure out where the hell I am… I’ll be there.”

Opening his eyes, Dean looked around him, hoping to see his angel and his little nerd brother standing in front of him. He let out a disappointed sigh once he figured that it’ll take a while before Cas zap there.

Standing up and brushing himself off, Dean began his journey into the unknown, magical forest.

 

**********

 

**[https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lilac+fields&view=detailv2&&id=48E8F11FFC2FEB9D16B36E566A868F753755FA3F&selectedIndex=28&ccid=dUaeTYeE&simid=608003487097422571&thid=OIP.M75469e4d87840c22ebc4fd2c4ebaf0e6o0&ajaxhist=0](https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lilac+fields&view=detailv2&&id=48E8F11FFC2FEB9D16B36E566A868F753755FA3F&selectedIndex=28&ccid=dUaeTYeE&simid=608003487097422571&thid=OIP.M75469e4d87840c22ebc4fd2c4ebaf0e6o0&ajaxhist=0) **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Castiel has a familiar named Led Zeppelin. 
> 
> The witch is dead and Dean is gone.
> 
> ... unicorns?


	5. Dazed and Confused

**_Sam/Cas/Zep_ **

****

Sam parked the Impala in front of the motel. He hurriedly slid out of the car and slammed the door shut. Speed-walking to the paint-chipped motel door, Sam jammed the keys inside. He swung it open and stopped when heard Cas talking to himself, “-I just… I don’t know, Zep. Dean isn’t… “

Cas was cut off by the sound of Sam entering the room, “Oh! Sam! Good, you’re here.”

“Uh… Cas? Who were you talking to? And, what about?” He looked around the room, seeing no one else besides Zep calmly sitting on his bed.

Cas glanced at Zep and started fidgeting, “Well… Sam… I was talking to Zep?”

“You were talking to… Zep? The cat? About what?”

“Yes? And… well… Dean?”

Shaking his head, he chuckled, “You were talking to Zep about Dean?”

“Well, yes?” Cas nervously scratched the back of his neck.

Sam smiled, “You sure do love that little furball don’t you?”

Cas nodded, taking a step towards the bed and reached to pick up Zep, “I do. But, Sam, there is a lot of information that we should discuss… most of it regarding Zeppelin, my familiar.”

“Your… familiar? Since when is he your familiar? Wait… angels can have them? I thought that was just witches?” Sam looked like a kid at Christmas, beyond intrigued although a little confused at all of this new information.

 “Well, yes. Zep is my familiar. I did not know until an hour ago… I apologize I did not call sooner. Zeppelin had just told me and I tried to call Dean, but he did not answer… and then you finally answered… and now here we are.”

“It’s okay, Cas. So… congrats I guess? What does this mean exactly?”

Cas rounded the room, sitting at the dining table, “Well, Zep has told me the situation in the Faerie world and Sam… it’s not good. Not at all.”

“What’s not good?” Sam looked at Cas, trying to puzzle out what exactly was going on.

“He believes that Agrona is plotting to rid of theirs and neighboring dimensions with a very powerful spell.”

Sam shook his head in incomprehension, “Woah, woah, woah. Wait… who’s Agrona?”

Glancing down at Zep curled in his lap, “Well, Zeppelin says that she was the daughter of their former King and Queen, who were killed in battle recently. She has been planning a spell using The Crystal of Purity to bring darkness upon the worlds... and she has been succeeding as far as Zeppelin can remember.”

Zep looked up at Cas, thinking to him, _‘Castiel, you should probably tell the tall one about our bond as well. It is just as important. Our true bond is very rare.’_

Looking down at him, Cas nodded his head in agreement, “Yes. Sam, Zeppelin would like me to explain our bond.”

Sam was staring at him and Zep with wide eyes, “Wait… did he talk to you? Just now?”

Cas nodded, “Yes. We can communicate through thought, although I have not quite figured out how to send out my own thoughts. I am only able to receive the sensation of Zep’s words.”

“Oh… okay… well, cool? Anyways, back to the bond story?” Sam walked over to the dining table, sitting himself across from Cas and Zep. He rested his elbows on the table leaning in, interested.

Cas raised his hand and began petting the black, velvet ears of the little furball, “Right. Well… I believe that Zeppelin and I are true ‘other halves’, which is very rare. I suppose you, Sam, could associate that with the concept of soulmates. When I arrived at the shelter, that is when the forced bond broke.”

Sam scratched his head, “Forced bond?”

“Yes. Agrona forced a bond onto Zeppelin with the witch that you and Dean just took down. Her name was Keela by the way… anyways, yes. Zeppelin and I have a close physical bond, similar to the bond Dean and I share… but in a different sense.”

“Alright… so… soulmates and communication with thoughts. Got it. Can you explain this Agrona person and the dimension thing again?” Sam ran his hands through his hair, leaning back in his chair.

“Of course. But, Sam, don’t you think we should head to the bunker? Dean is most likely in the Faerie world and we do not have much time. I could explain on the drive?”

Sam nodded, standing up, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s get packed up and head to the bunker. Hey, Cas. Is there any way you can contact Dean? You said you guys have a bond too?”

“I’m sorry, Sam. Dean and I cannot communicate with thought. Our bonds differ in many ways. While Zep and I have a physical bond, Dean and I are bonded through my grace and his soul in a more emotional sense.”

“When you raised him from Hell?”

“Yes, exactly. A part of Dean is reflected in my grace, and a part of myself is reflected in Dean’s soul. I did not know that would happen at the time, but it was necessary. I hope he doesn’t mind…” Cas was cut off by a sensation in his head he knows all too well. He stopped in his tracks, listening intently, “Sam. Dean is praying.”

Sam looked up quickly, hopeful, “Really?! What is he saying? Is he okay?”

Cas was doubled over, head in his hands, “Shhh… yes, he’s alright. He says that he is in the middle of nowhere… with unicorns… there is a castle in the distance… and he’s… heading into a forest…” He sat back up again, looking intently at Sam, “From what Dean described… I believe that he _is_ in the Faerie world.”

Sam nodded, “Okay. This is good, right? We know exactly where he is and he said he was going into a forest. He shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

“Sam, this is Dean you’re speaking of. One of the best hunters of your generation. I am fairly certain he would be difficult to find… however, if he continues to pray to me… I might be able to track his location. Once we are in the Faerie world though, obviously.”

“Right… obviously. Well, we should probably head out. We need to get to Dean as soon as possible. I’ll grab my things and start the car, Cas you can get Dean’s stuff.”

Cas nodded, heading over to grab Dean’s clothes that were strewn on the floor. As he was shaking out a wrinkled flannel, he absently prayed to his father that Dean was somewhere out of harm’s way.

 

******

**_Dean_ **

Fallen leaves crunched under Dean’s feet as he took each step, moving deeper into the forest. It wasn’t as dense as he originally thought. There were open areas between groupings of trees, giving it an airier feeling.

But what made the forest seem magical, Dean thought, were the glowing mushrooms surrounding the bases of the trees. Even the leaves seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Squirrels, rabbits, and deer were running about and birds were chirping back and forth to each other, filling the world with life.

Dean was following a trail that was laid with cobblestone when he spotted movement out of his peripheral vision. He stopped in his tracks, as he turned his head to the left he gasped, “Are those… fairies?”

There were several fairies flying about, glowing golden and apparently playing a game of hide and seek. As Dean looked around, he saw that there were several tiny houses situated in a tree. They were all connected to each other by wooden bridges and stairs. It looked like a work of art, he thought.

They were each beautifully decorated by colorful flowers and the glowing mushrooms. Tiny fabric welcome mats lay in front of each door, and equally tiny rocking chairs on their equally tiny porches.

Dean shook his head and quietly murmured to himself, “Where the hell am I… this is nine kinds of crazy.”

He rolled his eyes as his gaze drifted from the scene before him, resuming his trek down the long cobblestone path.

 

**********

 

**_Sam/Cas/Zep_ **

****

Zep pranced down the bunker’s garage steps as Sam and Cas followed behind, carrying their things. Sam made his way to his room while Cas went to his own. Cas put Dean’s duffel on the floor and as he was shucking off his trench coat Zep padded into the room.

He hopped on the bed, turned in a circle, then lay down on the comforter. Cas smiled and reached to stroke Zep’s ears a few times. He turned around to hang his trench on the coat rack when Zep’s voice rang through Cas’ head, _‘Castiel, can you explain the transition between dimensions? I’m not familiar with it and I do not want you to injure yourself if it is dangerous.’_

Cas sighed and nodded his head, “Yes, I probably should. We should go get Sam, I would like it if he knew this information as well.”

_‘As you wish, Castiel.’_

Cas turned to the door, shoulders slumped with Zep following close behind and headed to Sam’s room.

 

**********

Sam and Cas were sat at the huge map table, Zep lying down on top. Sam leaned forward in his chair, “But… I thought you could fly anywhere with no problem? Why is this so different?”

Cas sighed, “I cannot technically ‘fly anywhere’. It is all based on where exactly my destination is. In this case, Oz and the Faerie world are both located in a plane that is neither hot nor cold. If I were to travel to either world, it would be very difficult for me to transition my wings to and from the etheric plane.”

“Wait… you actually fly… with wings? I thought angels just use their powers to teleport wherever they want.”

“Well, in a sense I suppose we do ‘teleport’… but that’s not really what it is.”

Sam slouched back and sighed, “Okay… well, what is it then? How come we never see your wings, where are they?”

“My wings are always there, but they are not apparent to humans because they are simply in the etheric plane. That is where angels soak up ‘power’ as you call it. Grace flows through the ether… it looks very much like streams of light flowing through a cloudy film. You can still see Earth from that dimension, although it isn’t possible to communicate with anything here. It is quite fascinating I suppose, coming from a humans’ perspective.”

“Got it… I think. So, because you gain power from the etheric plane… that’s where your wings are all the time? Can I see them?”

Cas started fidgeting, uncomfortable at the question, “Well… no human has ever seen my wings before… and I would prefer to not manifest them at the moment. I need all the power I can get so we can make the transition safely.”

Sam nodded, “Yeah, right. Of course. So… I get the whole etheric plane thing… but I still don’t get why it isn’t safe.”

“Well, because my wings are already ‘invisible’, I pull my vessel into the etheric plane as well… which is why I appear to… ‘poof’… away.” Cas readjusted in his seat, “Because the etheric plane’s atmosphere is hotter than Earth, I am able to easily fly in and out of those heat differences. However, because Oz and the Faerie world are neither hot nor cold, it is difficult for my wings to sustain flying from Earth, to the ether, and to the Faerie world. The heat and gravity differences are very great… I must be at full power before I would even think about attempting this.”

“But… you are at full power. Aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. However, carrying cargo during flight is a task… but I’m sure I could handle it.”

“And by cargo you mean me and Zep?”

“Well… not Zep…”

Zep jerked his head up from where it was resting on his paws, _‘Castiel. What do you mean ‘not Zep’?’_ He somehow managed to think with air quotes.

Castiel looked down, rubbing his jaw, “I just… I do not want you to get injured, Zeppelin. I would rather that you stay here, on Earth, where it is safe.”

_‘Castiel. I cannot just sit here and play with stuffed mice while my world, our worlds, are in great danger. I could be useful, could I not? I know my way around, I could guide you and your tall friend.’_

Cas shook his head, “No, Zeppelin. I would much rather than you stay here. Sam and I can take care of it.”

Sam nodded, agreeing with Cas, “I think he’s right, Zep. And besides… you guys can do that thought communication, right?”

“I am not sure if the connection will pass through dimensions… but with the knowledge of how far prayers stretch through the planes… it will most likely work.”

_‘Fine. Leave me here on Earth. But, Castiel, where do I go exactly?’_

Cas looked at Sam and asked, “Where could Zeppelin stay during the period that we are gone?”

Sam shrugged, “I don’t know… maybe an animal boarding place?”

Cas sat up quickly, eyes widening in realization, “Oh! I could call Lizzie! She gave me her phone number along with Zeppelin’s adoption certificate.”

“Cas… who’s Lizzie?”

“Oh, I forgot! I have not told you, Lizzie was the nice young woman at the shelter. She convinced me to adopt Zeppelin. She was quite helpful actually… and very friendly. I think you would enjoy her company, Sam.”

“Alright, well I guess you should call Lizzie so we can get Zep taken care of… then let’s gather everything we need and save Dean.”

 

**********

**_Dean_ **

****

Dean had been striding along the same cobblestone path for what felt like hours. He stopped at a flat tree stump, sitting down to give his legs a rest. Sighing, he doubled over and rested his elbows on his knees, head resting on his hands.

The only type of civilization he had come across were those same tiny fairy houses, or slightly bigger ones that presumably housed dwarves or some creature small enough to fit through those doors.

Dean thought about praying to Cas again, but he figured that if he’s trying to get to wherever the hell he was, he shouldn’t be distracting him.

Groaning, he lifted himself up, dragged his hands through his hair, and made his way back to the ever same path he’d been following for God knows how long.

He had only taken a few steps before he heard a twig snap from somewhere behind him and a woman’s voice rang through the trees, “Who are you?! Put your hands up!” Dean stopped in his tracks, raising his hands above his head.

“Turn around! And no funny business!”

He slowly swiveled around, cautious of the attacker. Dean gasped when he caught the sight familiar red hair, “ _Charlie?”_

 

**********

**_Sam/Cas/Zep_ **

 

Cas was pacing back in forth in the library, phone to his ear and an uncertain voice coming through the speaker, “But… he wouldn’t want to be near me. You know that the little rascal prefers you to anyone else, Jimmy.” Lizzie sighed into the phone.

“Yes, well… I promise that he is much more welcoming now. He warmed up to my friends fairly quickly.”

“Aren’t your friends’ guys too?”

“Yes… but that does not matter. Zeppelin has learned to be more friendly. I believe he was simply frightened while in that cage with people surrounding him. I am sure you won’t have any problems.”

Lizzie sighed once again in defeat, “Okay… but if he claws me to death, I’m blaming you. How long will you guys be gone anyways?”

“We are not sure… maybe a few weeks? Is that alright? Like I mentioned before, we will pay you for your trouble.”

“No, no, no. It’s not any trouble at all. I was just worried that he won’t like me. But come on, Jimmy. You don’t need to pay me for this. This is my job, I love animals.”

“Maybe so, but I feel the need to give back for the favor. We are not sure how long we will be gone and I would feel more at ease if we at least do this in return.” Cas paused his pacing, sitting down on the library couch.

“Okay, okay. I won’t fight you about it. Thank you. So… when are you guys leaving again?”

Cas leaned back on the cushions, throwing his head to rest back, “We need to leave as soon as possible. Our friend is in danger and I am afraid we are running out of time.”

“What kind of danger? Is he okay?”

“I pray that he is alright… he is… lost in a forest and Sam and I are going to find him.”

“Oh, man. That’s rough. I hope you find him… Dean, right?”

Cas smiled at the mention of his friend’s name, “Yes, Dean. He is a very good man. He has been my friend for a long time…” He paused, frowning at his racing thoughts.

“You don’t have family of your own?”

“Well… it is complicated… very complicated. Sam and Dean have been like a family to me for quite a long time.”

Lizzie paused for a moment, letting a silence wash over the line, “I’m glad to hear you guys are so close. I hope you guys find him, I really do.”

“Me too…” Cas sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Well, I guess you guys should head out soon… you can drop Zep off any time.”

“I appreciate this, Lizzie. I really do… and I will not be dropping Zeppelin off. Is it alright if Sam does?”

“Of course! I would love to meet him!”

Cas smiled at her enthusiasm, “Great. We will gather our things and Sam will be there shortly. Thank you, Lizzie.”

“No problemo, Jimmy! See ya! And good luck finding your friend!”

Cas smiled and ended the call. He got up, stretched his arms above his head, and made his way to Sam’s room.

 

**********

Lizzie was pacing in the living room, excited but nervous for when Sam got here. She didn’t know what he looked like, but even though that didn’t matter… she couldn’t help to hope he was just as attractive and a bit younger than Jimmy.

She looked into the mirror hanging in the hallway for the hundredth time, muttering to herself, “Okay, Lizzie. You got this. He might not even be single… you don’t even know him. Just take Zep and wish him luck. Strictly business.” She let out a breathy chuckle, “Who am I kidding, with my luck this is gonna go horribly…”

Lizzie’s thoughts were cut off by the _ding_ of the doorbell. She let out a breath, checked herself once more, and walked to the front door.

 

**********

Sam pulled the Impala in front of a small one-story brick house. The yard was immaculately decorated, white daisies stretched across the flower bed, no weeds in sight. On the porch, black bars that twisted to form intricate patterns took over the place where the usual white fence posts would be. Baby blue shutters lined each of the windows, giving the house a welcoming feel.

He cut the engine and reached over to the passenger seat, gathering Zep in his arms, “Now, Zep. I can’t talk to you like Cas can, but… please behave. Lizzie is doing us a favor and I don’t want her to regret it if you scratch her to death.”

Zep somehow scoffed, then nodded. If Sam could understand, he would hear a, _‘Heh. Yes, tall one. I’ll behave.’_

Sam took the nod as a yes, so he slid out of the car and made his way to the front door. He rang the doorbell, shifting on his feet in anticipation.

 

**********

 Lizzie opened the door and her eyes went wide at the sight. She thanked every God up there that the man standing in front of her looked as he did. He was tall. Extremely tall. Chocolate brown hair fell just above his shoulders and his eyes were gorgeous. They were a beautiful hazel color, framed by an equally beautiful face.

 

**********

 

As the door opened, Sam restrained his fidgeting. He was met with wide green eyes and long, straight blonde hair. She had a cute, round face with chubby cheeks and a small, perky nose. Sam thought she was very beautiful, but he wouldn’t let her know that… not yet at least. He needs to save his brother after all. This is no time for distractions.

 

**********

 

Lizzie shook her head at her moment of daydreaming and smiled, “Hi! You must be Sam? Jimmy has told me all about you.”

Sam paused at the unexpected name, then got with the program. He chuckled, “Nothing but good things I hope.”

She laughed and nodded her head, “Very good things.” Opening the door wider, she offered, “Would you like to come in?”

Sam hesitated, “I’ve really got to get going… I’ll grab Zep’s things from the car.” He stretched his arms out, an invitation for Lizzie to hold Zep.

She nodded, a bit disappointed, “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

 

**********

 

Sam returned with a small, padded bed with bumblebees printed all over it and a bag filled with food, treats, toys, and litter supplies. Lizzie laughed when she saw the monstrosity of a bed, “Oh my God! Bees?! Really? Who the hell picked that out?”

Sam laughed loudly at the offending print, “Ca- Jimmy picked it out, if you can believe it! He has a thing for bees apparently.”

“Dude, that’s so great! Oh my God!” Lizzie grabbed it from Sam’s hand, examining it, “You gotta admit, Sam. It’s kinda cute.” She held it up beside her face with the cutest expression on her face that Sam had ever seen.”

Sam sat the bags of supplies on the floor, chuckling, “I guess it is kinda cute…” He leaned in and whispered, “Dean says he hates it, but I know he secretly has a soft spot for it.”

“Ha! Dean’s your brother, right? Jimmy mentioned him a lot.”

“Yup. He’s my big brother. Thinks he’s tough shit, but he’s really a bit ol’ softy.”

Lizzie chuckled at that, “Well, when you find him, I’m dying to meet this Dean. Jimmy seems to like him… a lot.”

“He does. They both do…” Sam sighed, “Well… I should probably get going. Me and Cas need to head out. Thank you for doing this.”

Lizzie smiled, “Alright. It’s no problem at all! I wish ya’ll luck!”

Sam smiled fondly and turned to the door. He stopped when Lizzie called out, “You be safe now, you hear! We haven’t even gotten a chance to go see a crappy movie yet!”

“I will. Thanks, Liz. Oh! Raincheck for that movie?”

“You know it!” She waved her hand to the door, “Now get going, your brother is waiting for you!”

 

**********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Lizzie and Sam? Are ya'll okay with that? It looks like they're both head over heels for each other already!
> 
> And... Charlie? What?! How did she get there?


	6. Somethin' Else

_**Dean** _

_“Charlie?”_

Charlie was standing there, dressed in a similar outfit to her LARPing attire, holding a beautifully crafted bow. Which was pointed directly at Dean.

  _“…Dean?!”_ She lowered her bow, eyes wide, “What the hell are you doing here! I could’ve shot you! _Jeez!”_ Charlie swung the weapon over her head, so it rested across her torso like a satchel.

Dean was still standing in his place, unable to get another word out other than, “ _Charlie_?”

“Yes, Dean. The Queen is here! Now stop standing there and gimme a hug, you idiot.”

He rolled his eyes and met her in the middle, wrapping her in a tight embrace, “How’re you, kiddo?”  Dean loosened his grip, pulling away to plant a kiss on her fiery red hair.

She beamed up at him, “It’s so good to see you, Dean, really. But… it hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns... it’s like real life Moondor up in here! And I’m not even the Queen!” Charlie sighed, reminiscing when she once ruled the land, “I assume you’re here for the same reason. Right?”

Dean shook his head, “Doubt it.”

“Alright, then why are you here? I wouldn’t think you just wanted to prance around in the field with unicorns. Unless you’re into that sort of thing.” She smirked, looking back at Dean.

“Dude. Shut up. A witch was kidnapping children. Me and Sam took the bitch down.” Dean shook his head, “Zapped me here apparently. In the middle of friggin’ nowhere!” He paused, “Unicorns… really?”

“Yup.” Charlie said, lips popping on the last letter, “There’s also fairies, dwarves, orcs, mermaids, mer _men_ … oh! And I think there’re a few small dragons. They’re practically harmless though, so don’t worry.”

He looked back up at Charlie, face turning pale, “I’m gonna be sick…” He grabbed his stomach, doubling over.

Charlie reached out and grabbed his shoulders, “Hey. Hey, Dean. Chill. Look at me.”

He lifted his head, eyes finding nothing but comfort and sincerity in Charlie’s kind eyes, “It’s just… nine kinds of crazy! I’ve been walking through this forest alone for hours…”

Charlie nodded, allowing a moment of silence before she chuckled and spoke again, “Dude, I’ve been following you for, like, an hour! I can’t believe The Great Dean Winchester didn’t know he was being followed! I’m totes gonna tell the guys!

He glared at her, with no real malice, and pointed a finger in her direction, “Don’t you dare! I have a reputation to uphold!”

Charlie rolled her eyes, “What _ever_ you say, _handmaiden_.” She smiled evilly at him then gestured behind her, “Come on, I’ll show you where we’re holed up. And I’ll tell you all about what’s going on.”

Dean narrowed his eyes, “We?”

“Uh… yeah? Remember Gilda? That hot fairy from that one time? Me and Dorothy ran into her...”

Dean threw his head back, choking on his laughter, “Oooh yeah! I remember her! And I bet you certainly do.” He smirked at the blush making its way up her neck.

Charlie pointed a threatening finger in his direction, “Shut up! She was hot, okay?! And she came onto me. I was just reciprocating!”

“Oh, yeah. You reciprocated all right.” He said in a mocking voice, _“If the tent is rockin’ don’t come a- knockin’.”_

“Whatever, Dean. You’re just jealous I got a hot piece of ass and you don’t!”

“Hey! Don’t doubt my skills!”

“Uh huh. You keep thinking that, Dean. Oh! Did you say Cas? I haven’t met him yet! Is he nice? I bet he’s cooler that you.”

Dean jokingly punched her on the shoulder, “Hey! I’m cool! Cas is too, actually. But I’m definitely cooler.”

“Oooh I doubt that.” She smiled at Dean, “But, what does he look like? Tell me!”

Dean shook his head at her interest, “Well, he’s about this tall…” Gesturing with his hands, “He has dark brown hair, awesome blue eyes, a little bit of stubble, and a killer jawline…” He drifted off, thinking about Cas, “Oh! And he’s an angel, too! Pretty badass.”

Charlie chuckled at Dean’s daydreaming, “Sounds like you got a hot piece of ass too, Dean.” She smirked as she saw a pink blush paint his cheeks.

“Dude. He’s our friend. I’m not into that.” Dean turned to glare at her, “You asked what he looked like and I told you.”

“Okay, Mr. _Sassy_ pants. Whatever you say. Let’s just get back to the house.”

Dean nodded continued down the path, side-by-side with Charlie.

**********

**_Sam/Cas/Zep_ **

 

Cas was digging through Dean’s dresser, picking out some clean clothes to replace the dirty ones that were in the duffel. He threw some of his own clothes, that he had borrowed from Dean, in as well.

He folded each item carefully, making sure there was enough room for Sam’s things too, as they were only taking what they absolutely needed. Cas was to carry the duffel filled with personal items, while Sam was in charge of the weapons bag.

He was folding one of Dean’s soft, grey AC/DC t-shirts when he heard the bunker door open and close. Cas lifted his head, put the shirt on the bed, and wandered into the hallway.

He met Sam at the entrance of the hallway, by the kitchen, “Sam! How did it go? Was Zeppelin okay? Did you like Lizzie?”

Sam chuckled, “One question at a time, Cas. It went well. Zep was perfectly fine, like you said. And Lizzie was great. I like her… a lot…”

Cas smiled at Sam’s blushing, “I knew you would like her. She is very kind.”

“Yeah, she is.” Sam ran his hands through his hair, “So… we should probably get going? Did you get yours and Dean’s things packed?”

“Yes. We can leave as soon as you add your items.”

“Okay, great. I’ll go do that… Cas, can you grab the bag with the weapons?”

“Of course, Sam.” Cas turned around, making his way to the shooting range where they filled the bag before Sam had left earlier.

**********

“Cas… are you sure we have everything? What if we forgot something?” Sam was fidgeting where he stood, nervous about this apparently risky flight.

Cas nodded, “Yes. I’m fairly certain we have everything. Weapons, clothes, books…”

“Okay… okay. Cas… you said this could be dangerous… are you sure you can carry me? What if I end up hurting you?”

“Sam, I can assure you I will not be injured just by you. The only thing that is potentially dangerous is the transition from the ether, to a dimension where it is neither hot nor cold. I have never flown there before, but I assume we can make the transition safely… the worst that could happen is I may be unable to pull you, and myself, out of the ether and into Oz.”

Sam let out a humorless chuckle, “We don’t know if we don’t try, right? Let’s do this.”

“Alright. Ready?” Sam nodded and Cas pulled him close in a tight embrace, “Hold on, Sam.”

**********

**_Dean_ **

 

Charlie led Dean around a large bend, leading to a pathway of golden rocks. Dean gaped as he saw that the path led up to a large tree hollowed out on one side, showing a spiral staircase that went up to an impressive treehouse.

The whole structure appeared to be made out of various sizes of wooden logs. Large branches sprouted out from the base, supporting the house.

The actual house, though, was separated in three parts. A smaller section occupied the left side, followed by quite a larger section, and then one slightly smaller than the previous, but not as small as the left, on the far right. A large window was placed in the middle of each section, with dark brown shutters that opened and closed on either side. Baskets were hung under each windowsill, filled with red roses.

It was quite the masterpiece, Dean thought.

Charlie tugged on his arm, interrupting his silent admiration, “Come on! You’ve got to meet Gilda again, you know, when she’s not forced to kill everyone by some nerd with a magic book…”

Dean chuckled, “Yeah. Let’s go.”

They walked up the staircase, Dean following behind Charlie. The stairs emptied right in the middle of the living room. To the right, the ceiling was slanted to the wall. A small couch sat against the wall, a wooden coffee table in front of it, and a woven rug under that. Bookcases lined the walls beside the tiny sitting area. Filled with lore books most likely, Dean thought.

Straight ahead, the living room opened up to the kitchen area. There was a round, wooden dining table surrounded by chairs just outside of the kitchen. When Dean looked to the left, he saw two doors. One of them was presumably a bedroom, the other a bathroom.

The whole place was quite cozy. There was a warm glow coming from the back wall. Another couch sat in front of a brick fireplace which stretched up through the ceiling. Looking up, he saw that in the center of the house, the ceiling opened up to a large glass skylight.

Charlie rounded the bannisters that enclosed the stairs and headed towards one of the doors on the left, knocking, “Gilda! Come out here, we have a visitor!”

Dean chuckled and headed towards the couch in the living room. 

The door opened, revealing Gilda. Her tanned skin glowing in the warmth of the room, “Charlie, I wish you would learn to warn me about visitors.” She sighed, hands reaching down to smooth her white dress.

“Sorry, babe.” Charlie leaned up to peck a kiss right on her mouth, “Remember Dean?” She gestured to the couch where Dean sat, smiling at the two women.

Gilda nodded her head and gracefully moved in front of Dean offering a handshake, “Yes. I do, indeed. Nice to see you again, Dean. Charlie has told me many stories about you and your brother.” Dean reached his hand out and gripped her dainty hand in his.

He smiled up at her, “Better’ve been good things.” Dean winked at Gilda, smiling when he saw her slight blush.

“Yes… well…” Gilda turned her head around, looking at the red-head smirking at the two.

Charlie spoke up, breaking Gilda’s uncertainty, “Dude, I told her all about how you served me like royalty as a handmaiden.” She smirked at Dean’s glare, “Hey! You’re never gonna let me live that down are ya?”

She shook her head and laughed, “Nope.”

Dean glared once again in her direction. He shook his head and laughed it off, patting the cushions beside him, “Well, are ya gonna fill me in or what? I don’t have all day.”

Charlie laughed, stepping up to grab Gilda’s hand and pull her to the couch where Dean sat. She glanced at her girlfriend and asked, “So… where should we start?”

Gilda let go of Charlie’s hand and leaned forward, facing Dean, “There has been a terrible darkness bleeding through our world. We believe that Agrona, the King and Queen’s daughter, is planning this spell. It is used to bring light to the world, but in the wrong hands, it can be warped. She is using a spell, although I don’t know which one, to transform The Crystal to bring darkness and destruction to our worlds.”

Dean nodded, “But… what happened to the King and Queen? Aren’t they tryin’ to stop her?”

 Gilda looked down and shook her head, “No… they perished terribly at the hand of a very powerful, ruthless faerie. She wanted to take The Crystal of Purity away from our kingdom, so she took any means possible to try and take it.” She looked back up at Dean, “We believe Agrona destroyed her, here in The Hollow Forest, as revenge.”

“So… we have to destroy this crystal thing?”

She nodded, “Yes. The darkness is already bleeding out past the castle grounds… everything around it is turning grey. Plants are wilting and creatures are dying. We need to stop her as soon as possible before it reaches Arkhmoor.”

Dean tilted his head, “Arkhmoor?”

Gilda nodded and glanced at Charlie, “Yes. That’s where I’m from. Right now, we’re in The Hollow Forest of Arkhmoor.” She looked back intently at Dean, “Don’t worry though, we are quite a way away from the castle grounds. At the rate the spell is progressing, it should be a while before Agrona becomes strong enough to reach this far. She would have to pass through The Green Hills, which stretch a long way.”

Dean nodded, soaking up all this new information, “Okay… so how do we take the bitch down? We need a plan.”

Gilda shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Well… it won’t be easy… if you’re certain you’ll be able to assist us, we have myself, Charlie, Dorothy, and you. That’s four against one very powerful faerie with a very power spell.”

“What about Sam and Cas? They can help.”

“Of course. But, where are they…?”

Dean smiled, “They’ll be here soon. But right now, we should get a plan goin’.”

Gilda glanced at Charlie, “Okay. I suppose we should visit Dorothy?” Charlie nodded in affirmation and Gilda looked at Dean, “Her home is not far from here. We will go there, make a plan, and wait for your friends to join us.”

Dean nodded and clapped his hands together, “Finally an actual plan! Alright, let’s get goin’ ladies!” He stood up and made his way to the stairs in the center of the room.

Charlie laughed and dragged Gilda off the couch, “Let’s go darling, we can’t keep The Great Dean Winchester waiting!” Gilda chuckled and followed her red headed Queen as she dragged her down the treehouse’s spiral staircase.

**********

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Charlie and Gilda? AND Dorothy?
> 
> Will Sam and Cas make it safely to Oz?

**Author's Note:**

> I have a handful of chapters finished, so i'll post as I go. (I'll probably post and then get my wonderful beta to edit, so... bear with me.)
> 
> Thanks for reading! Leave a kudos or comment if you like <3


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